


Retaliation

by TomesByBones



Series: Shumako Week 2019 [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Dark, F/M, Fear, Fear of Death, Fluff, Gun Violence, Loss, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 06:33:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17482967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomesByBones/pseuds/TomesByBones
Summary: Written for Shumako Week 2019. Day 4.Theme: Protect / HealSomething has woken Makoto Niijima up in the middle of the night. As Ren sleeps peacefully in their bed she wanders through their apartment... But someone else is there, waiting....





	Retaliation

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING:  
> This story gets incredibly dark, very fast. If you're not interested in seeing graphic depictions of violence and/or death then please do not continue reading.

Makoto sat up in the bed, one eye opening slowly at first and then the other. She couldn’t see that well, between the darkness of the room and her own grogginess she was having a hard time figuring out where exactly she was. She hadn’t remembered going to sleep that night, Once her eyes had finally adjusted to the lack of light her brain caught up to what she was seeing. She was in their apartment, not her and Sae’s but her and her _husband’s_ home. She could feel a light chill wash over her bare shoulders as she uncovered herself. It was a little chilly for the sleepwear that she had selected earlier this evening apparently. She had dressed in a cream-colored satin gown and little else, an attempt at capturing Ren's gaze earlier in the evening that had succeeded fairly well. As disorientation faded into awareness, she noticed the man sleeping beside her. Ren Amamiya. She smiled softly as the man’s chest gently rose and fell. His breathing deep and slow, she could see his eyes twitching softly and found herself wondering what he was dreaming about. Suddenly a jolt in her stomach reminded her of why exactly she was awake so late.

 _‘Damn these cravings…’_ She sighed softly, trying to make as little noise as possible as she swung her feet over the side of the couple’s queen-sized bed. They had splurged on the mattress, which was a first for both of them. They were naturally both frugal people after all. Makoto’s mattress at her sister’s apartment had been nice, but the one that Ren had insisted they get for their first apartment together was made of memory foam. The price had been steep, but once Makoto have given it a chance she had realized that she very much enjoyed sleeping on a cloud that practically formed itself to her body.

Leaving the bed was agonizing. The apartment was cool and dark, two things she wasn’t the biggest fan of honestly, and the empty spot next to Ren teased her as she glanced down at him. The bed was so soft and fluffy, so _warm._ She had almost decided to ignore the cravings and jump back under the covers when her stomach growled again., Normally she’d have woken Ren up for this, after all it was _his_ fault she was having these cravings anyways. Well, she had a hand in it as well, but it was _mostly_ his fault. Tonight, though she wanted to do something for herself. Ren had started being a tad bit over protective of her lately now that she had a baby bump. Initially it had been cute, but sometimes it made her feel as if he thought her a cripple.

Makoto slipped her feet into her Buchimaru house slippers and placed a hand to her stomach. Stifling the calls from her abdomen. The little one was hungry and so Makoto was hungry. She had found it fascinating the first time she’d had a craving, she had just eaten dinner with Ren when suddenly she had wanted pickle juice. Makoto had never really enjoyed pickle juice before, but that night she probably would’ve torn someone’s arm off to get to some.

“Shhhh.” She patted the miniscule little bump on her abdomen. “You’ll wake daddy.” She whispered softly, practically silently. She rubbed the last bits of sleep from her eyes as she trudged, quietly, to the open bedroom door. The apartment was nice, but it still had it’s quirks. Every so often the heat would cut off in the middle of the night and one of them would have to go mess with the thermostat to get it running again. Tonight was such a night Makoto found as she thumbed over the dial in the hallway against the wall. It wasn’t outright cold, but it was definitely cooler than she liked.

After adjusting the thermostat Makoto glanced over at the room on the other end of the hall. What would soon be the nursery to the little bun growing inside her. They still had at least five months to go but Ren had been so adamant on getting it ready that Makoto hadn’t argued with him. They were waiting until the baby was born to know if it was a boy or a girl, so they had asked Yusuke to paint the room in gender neutral colors. The now somewhat famous artist had scoffed at that, keeping a wry smile between himself and Ren that Makoto hadn’t understood at the time.

When she had first walked into the room that night after Yusuke left she had bawled like a baby. The young man had decorated the four walls in the room with murals. The southern wall with a vast field of flowers shimmering underneath a full pale moon, Makoto would never understand how the man had painted the flowers in such a manner that they seemed to glow. Almost as if the light from the moon was real.

The eastern was adorned with the skyline of Tokyo amidst the sunset, buildings lit up throughout the night as the hues of orange and red cascaded into softer blues that signified night, it was the same view that Makoto had seen so many nights standing on the breeze way to her and Sae’s apartment.

 The western wall had a small house off to the side of a street standing proudly against the light of a warm day. This was Ren’s home that he had grown up in. Yusuke had forced Ren to drive him to the street he had grown up on and sketched the entire area in one of his books.

Then finally, there was the northern wall. This had been what had caused her heart to skip a beat. The vibrant hues from the sunset on the eastern corner, and the daylight from the western corner, had both converged and transformed into a clear blue night sky. Stars littering the backdrop endlessly. In the center of the piece stood two silhouettes. On the east, shining brightly with an incredible array of whites and blues, Anat, her red face shining brightly against the contrasting colors. The right, clouded with greys and reds as if mired by darkness, Arsene, his pitch-black wings the darkest thing that appeared on the mural. The two figures were reaching for one another, their hands just barely touching in the center.

Makoto stared at the mural for a long time now, remembering how Ren had told her about the idea for the entire piece, it hadn’t been this grandiose, but when it came to art; Yusuke had a mind of his own. Yusuke had managed to take their Personas and transform them into something beautiful for their first child. Ren had expressed some concern that the child would find Satanael and Arsene too frightening if they were detailed, thus resulting in the usage of Arsene and Anat’s shapes to convey what they were and leaving Satanael out completely. The little one would probably never understand it on their own, but Makoto and Ren would know.

She could feel the growing prince or princess moving in her stomach and took it as a sign to move on. There was food to had after all! Makoto slowly shut the door to the nursery and walked a few steps down the hall. It was already beginning to get warm in the apartment, but something stopped her dead in her tracks and shot ice through her veins as she peered into the living room.

 _Someone_ was sitting on their couch. Makoto didn’t move for a moment, confusion and panic rising in her chest. The figure hadn’t noticed her yet. She could run to the bedroom. If she moved quickly enough, she could lock the door and call the police, her and Ren could get out safely through the fire escape while she made the call. Of course, it’d have been much easier if she could’ve just called on Anat, but alas those days were long over now. She had already formulated the plan in her head when she started to take a step towards her left.

It was too late though.

“Ah! Niijima-san.” The figure spoke happily as it turned it’s head. Makoto jumped slightly. Whoever this was, he or she knew her. That couldn’t be a good sign. Makoto slowly shifted her weight onto one leg, preparing to make a dash for the bedroom door to her left if the figure made any sudden moves. If looks could’ve killed then Makoto’s glare would’ve been considered a weapon of mass destruction at this point, the _Niijima Death Glare_ shining brightly as she stared the intruder down.

“Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend, _Makoto?_ ” The figure opened it’s arms slowly as it practically hissed her name. There was nothing discernable about the way it moved, the body language was slightly ambiguous. Set against the backdrop of the white couch all Makoto could make out in the darkened room was the general shape of the figure. Even without being able to see completely Makoto could tell that the figure wore all black from head to toe, and what looked to be a black ski mask. That was potentially good, it meant that this intruder was worried about their identity being discovered. Now whether they were worried about the residents of this apartment seeing who they were, or someone else, Makoto couldn’t say.

“Who are you?” Makoto’s stood tall, looking down at the seated figure. Her voice was firm and solid, showing her strength and composure. Inside though she felt as if her heart may burst at any time now. Something about this individual caused every hair on her body to stand, this person was dangerous, and Makoto knew it.

“Oh? You don’t remember?” The figure slowly rose from the seat on the couch and made it’s way around the small coffee table that sat in the living room. The black shape came more into focus now and Makoto could tell the figure was that of a male. He thrust his arms to the side and poked his chest out, his heels clicking together with an audible _tink_. His shoes had metal on the heel. The man held the pose for a moment before he gave up with an exhausted sigh. Makoto calmed her breathing as she watched, was this supposed to tell her who was in her living room?

“That doesn’t help…” She was practically growling as her brow furrowed, her beautiful crimson red eyes narrowing as a result. Her fists slowly clenched at her side. She shuffled her feet again, moving silently to the left. As soon as her movement stopped the figure rushed forward faster than Makoto could see. It was almost as if he had instantly closed the distance between the two of them. The man’s forearm found its way under Makoto’s chin and pushed hard against her throat. Forcing her backwards and off balance. Makoto collided with the wall with a sharp _thud_ and she let out a small yelp. The figure quickly moved his free hand to cover her mouth before the noise could travel throughout the apartment.

The man was strong, Makoto’s hands immediately found their way to the forearm holding her pinned and she struggled to remove the limb from her personal space. Something about the man’s strength was otherworldly, Aikido wouldn’t help her here. As she struggled the man slowly moved his hand from her mouth and held up a single finger, gesturing her to be silent.

“We wouldn’t want to wake him… Now would we?” The man reached to his side with a free hand and pulled a gun from the holster that rest there, he brought the firearm into Makoto’s view and watched as her eyes widened in absolute horror. “Yes, you understand now right? This one is very, _very_ real.” Her attacker chimed, sounding proud of himself. “Unlike the _toys_ you fools carried all those years ago.” He added, his voice gruff and damaged. This person knew, he knew about the cognitive world, about the Metaverse!

After placing the firearm back in it’s holster the man reached to his chin and gripped the ski mask that rest over his face. _‘No, no no no.’_ Makoto’s mind screamed as she watched the man pull the mask up over his face, revealing himself to be none other than the once believed deceased Goro Akechi. He looked different now, scar tissue littered his face and one eye was permanently fused shut, a constant reminder of how sharp Joker’s blade had been that night.

“Been a while Queen.” He sneered as he pressed his forearm deeper into her throat, choking the air out of her. “You’re probably really confused.” A mad psychotic smile pulled on the corners of Akechi’s mouth. “I could walk you through it all, how I survived, why I’m here…” He let his forearm relax a little, allowing Makoto to breath the tiniest gasp of air. “I could do all that, but there’s no point.” His one good eye was wide and bloodshot. Makoto stared into it, seeing a madness that left her feeling that if something didn’t happen soon that things were going to turn incredibly bad, fast.

Makoto began to struggle again, more violently this time. She tried pushing off the wall with her legs, but she just ended up suspending herself off the ground. Akechi capitalized on her mistake and raised his forearm upwards, dragging her up the wall with it until Makoto’s feed dangled just barely off the ground. Makoto’s brain was firing on all cylinders right now, she knew that Akechi had no intentions of letting her live. “Still such a pushover Niijima-san… I guess something’s never change.”

“Hey, asshole!” A voice to her left, no please no. “It’s Niijima-Amamiya now!” Makoto’s eyes shot left and saw Ren standing in the doorway that lead to their bedroom. Normally Ren was the most calm and cool individual in the world, but when he did manage to get angry, it actually kind of frightened Makoto. “Let her go, now!” He snarled as his eyes flared that same goldish yellow that they had so many years ago. _The Third Eye_. The ability itself had stayed with Ren after the Metaverse had dissipated, a gift from the long-nosed man. Makoto knew what this was though, a feeble attempt to make Akechi believe that he still held that same incredible power in this world.

Akechi pressed his forearm harder into Makoto’s throat, and Makoto could feel the pressure starting to take it’s toll. Any longer in this position and her larynx could collapse. For all her years of martial arts training, she was helpless now and Makoto hated it more than she hated anything. The noises coming from her throat were meant as a warning to Ren, but if he heard them, he either didn’t understand, or didn’t care. The young man was furious. He slowly began to lower his stance, just like she had taught him.

“There’s the _attic trash!”_ Akechi smiled crazily. He glared darkly at Ren as he pressed hard against Makoto’s throat again. She could feel a sharp pain this time and she heard something pop loudly in her ears. “I had hoped to finish up with your pet---” Akechi’s taunting was interrupted by Ren charging him, catching the intruder off guard. Makoto hadn’t seen Ren move that quickly since he wore the white mask of the trickster. She didn’t think it was humanly possible for anyone to move that fast in this world. An assessment that both of these men had now proven incorrect.

Akechi immediately released Makoto and let her fall to the floor. Instinctively Makoto’s hands clutched at her throat as she coughed, gagging on the air that now rushed through her burning lungs. She had been close to blacking out. She heard the first gunshot and her ears began to ring loudly, deafening her sense of sound to everything else around her. She clutched at the side of her head with a hand and yelped from the shock of how loud the gun had been.

The bullet flew just above Ren’s head as he dipped down into a crouching stance. Akechi hadn’t had time to fire another shot when Ren had finally reached him. Ren reached for Akechi’s arm that held the gun with blinding speed, catching him in the grip of both his hands. Makoto was watching now as Ren twisted the man’s black clothed arm, placing Akechi in a perfect Aikido arm lock that Makoto had shown her lover how to use months ago. Akechi let his arm be dragged for a moment, a thin smile resting on his lips as he mockingly acted as if he was in pain. The gun never left his hand. Ren tightened the hold and twisted hard, seeking a very specific result that would disarm Makoto’s attacker. No such reaction came though.

“This is it, really? I break into your home—” Akechi’s knee flew up in a flash, catching Ren directly in the diaphragm, lifting the young man off his feet for a moment. Ren’s mouth opened wide to gasp for air, but he was unable to breathe now. “---and THIS is what you face me with?!” Akechi finished, swinging downward with the hand that held the pistol to smash Ren’s face with the butt of the firearm’s grip. Ren was still reeling from the last blow but managed to just narrowly avoid the man’s swing. As he dodged, he shot out a right hook that Makoto would’ve missed if she had blinked.

Akechi took the blow and remained standing, his face turned towards his right now. The impact from Ren’s knuckles had barely phased him. “Pathetic, you truly are attic trash…” Akechi snapped his left arm out and connected with Ren’s cheek with the back of his hand. The force from the punch caused Ren to lose his balance and collapse into the wall. “How in the hell did you _ever_ defeat ME?!” Akechi’s voice broke as he screamed the last word. He pointed the barrel of the pistol downward at Ren now.

“STOP!” Makoto tried to scream, but it came out weak and hoarse, she recoiled hard as the words came out, her throat feeling as though acid ran through it. Akechi had broken something, or dislodged something there, but she couldn’t tell what right now.

“Oh?” Akechi peeked at her with his good eye. “Why should I?” He mused as he nudged Ren’s head with the gun. His eye never left Makoto as he asked, clearly this wasn’t a rhetorical question.

“Why are you doing this?” Makoto struggled with every word, that burning sensation ripping through her neck as she spoke. “You… Saved us…” Makoto could feel her anger rising but she knew that this foe was too powerful. She wasn’t sure how, but Akechi had gotten immensely stronger since their encounter years ago or had they just gotten _weaker_? A war-mongering conqueror had once said that peace was the enemy of the warrior. Makoto had never believed that philosophy, until now.

“No, I _tricked_ you, hello? Persona Loki, meet _Queen_!” Makoto’s eyes widened in horror at the realization. Akechi had never intended for that last moment to be an act of redemption, he was simply doing as Ren had done before him, He had taken himself off the board and used the time it bought him to wait for his opportune moment. For his chance at revenge. It had been calculated, he had planned it all along. The battle with Shido’s cognition of himself had clearly done a number on him, but he had won in the end and survived.

Ren was wobbly but still standing, he never left his feet, but he looked as if he may keel over at any moment. Akechi lowered the gun from Ren’s head now and pointed it at his right leg. Ren couldn’t hear the second gunshot as it tore through his kneecap, forcing him down onto the ground in a fit of pain and terrified screams. Makoto’s ears were ringing again as she screamed at Akechi.

“STOP! NO!” She started towards Akechi, who trained the gun on her now. Makoto’s thoughts raced now, her thoughts were of Ren, of their relationship, and of the nursery behind Akechi. Ren was writhing on the ground, screaming in pain when Akechi raised his foot and stomped on Ren’s skull, pinning him to the ground.

“Be quiet! I’ll deal with you in a moment!” Akechi’s twisted smile had faded and he looked flatly at Makoto now, the gun still pointed at her. “Do you know what it’s like? To plot and plan for _years_ , to do everything in your power to achieve _one_. Single. Thing? To have it all ripped away from you the moment you have that goal in your grasp?!” Akechi clinched his free hand tightly into a fist, shaking it at Makoto. She said nothing. Her eyes were full of rage and fear as she realized that Ren had stopped moving. She dared not look at him though, scared of what she may see.

“You and this _garbage_ took that goal from me. So, I think it’s fitting that I take… _everything_ … from you.” He gestured towards Makoto with the gun and smiled softly for just a split second. Makoto could see what remained of the tormented boy who tried to play hero so many years ago and she felt a deep pang of regret. That is until she heard the third shot.

Her shoulder burned hot, and she could feel her skin becoming wet with something. She couldn’t see what it was as she collapsed onto the ground on her side, her ears ringing once again as she glared towards Akechi, still standing over Ren. Makoto was crying in pain as she watched their attacker kneel next to Ren’s unconscious body.

“I want you to watch, I want you to watch as your entire world crumbles in front of you Niijima-san. After him, we’re going to pay a little visit to all of your friends, and that _bitch_ of a sister of yours!” He reached down with his free hand and gripped Ren by his jaw. Forcing his face towards Makoto.

“Please stop!” Makoto pleaded as Akechi pressed the barrel of the pistol to the side of Ren’s skull.

“You always were such a pushover…” He sneered wickedly at the brunette, now dragging herself towards them through her own blood.

The fourth shot came.

Makoto couldn’t hear the guttural shriek that escaped her lips. She couldn’t taste the blood that was slowly pooling in her mouth, or the burning sensation coming from her throat. The only sense of Makoto’s that was registering anything now was sight. Helplessly, she watched the bullet tear through her lover’s skull. Blood, pieces of bone and brain matter splattered throughout the tiny hallway, and all over Makoto’s face.

 

* * *

 

Makoto jolted upright in her bed with a deep gasp. Her chest ached from how hard her heart was pounding. Tears were already rolling down her face as she memorized the final scene of the most horrific nightmare she had ever experienced.  She immediately glanced over at Ren’s side of the bed and felt a wave of relief crash over her body as she laid eyes on her fluffy haired boyfriend sleeping soundly next to her. Laying on his back with one leg sticking out from under the comforter, just as he did every night.

Makoto slowly reached a shaking hand out and lightly placed it on his chest, checking to see if the young man was still breathing. She sighed quietly as she watched her hand rise and fall with his breath. Her heart was still racing madly against her rib cage, but she was already feeling herself start to calm down a little. She withdrew her still shaking hand and ran it across her forehead. She was drenched in sweat. She pulled the T-Shirt she wore out slightly and looked down, seeing the grey shirt stained black nearly down to her navel.

Pieces of the nightmare were fading now. She couldn’t remember the words that Akechi had said, but she remembered his actions. How he had shot Ren in the leg, then her in her shoulder, shattering her collarbone, then he had knelt in front of her, and ended her love’s life right before her eyes. Makoto’s eyes squinted shut immediately at the thought as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. Her mind raced as she tried to recall the conversation between her and Akechi. Only one word stood out to her though. _Pushover._

Maybe back then before becoming Queen that had been true, but in the years that followed she had been anything but. The word still carried weight in her heart though it seemed as she could feel the subtle stabs of regret and guilt piercing her chest. She slowly rose while lifting the old T-shirt of Ren’s over her head and placing it in the laundry hamper beside her side of their bed. The air in the apartment was cool on her bare chest as she wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn’t sure if the chills were from the air or from the horrible images of Ren’s murder that flashed repeatedly in her mind.

Settling for one of Ren’s dress shirts she slid her arms into the sleeves and hugged herself tightly. Gazing back at the silhouette of her boyfriend. She began to slowly recount the nightmare in her head as she sighed silently. They had been married, she had been pregnant, she had started off that dream so happy, and it had turned so dark so quickly. She knew Akechi was dead, she had asked Sae to put feelers out for the young man after his act of redemption. Sae had questioned people periodically for the next six months about the boy heralded as the _new detective prince_ to no avail. If Akechi _was_ alive, nobody knew where he was, or how to find him.

Ren had also asked his friend Iwai to poke around the underworld about the young man. Seeing if anyone on that side of the law was able to turn anything up regarding the youth. That had yielded similar results to Sae’s questioning though. As far as anyone knew, Goro Akechi had simply vanished off the face of the planet, never to be seen again. Makoto preferred it that way, if she was speaking honestly. Especially after that nightmare.

Makoto made her way to the kitchenette in the tiny two-bedroom apartment, but not before stopping to gaze in the room that rested at the end of the hall. As she peered into the room, she halfway expected to find the nursery from her dreams. Instead she was greeted by a large wooden desk, not fancy but not shabby either with college coursework laying strewn about the top of the wood. A simple closed laptop resting in the corner that sit closest to the door. Another wave of relief washed over Makoto, but one that contained a faint hint of sadness as well. That nursery had been beautiful, and her memory of seeing it for the first time had been so vivid, as if she had really lived that moment in some other place, some other time.

She wasn’t ready for children though, Ren and her had just moved in together around a month ago, and they were still fairly new in their relationship. They hadn’t even gotten engaged yet. It was something that they had discussed in the past though. Yes, marriage was a goal for Ren, children too. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt though, she liked the idea of being married to him but she had some reservations about it as well. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her mother and father together, so she had no idea what, if anything, was so different about being married. She understood the romantic implications of it, to be bound to one person for the rest of her life, and that part she was fine with….

 _‘Unless…’_ Something happened that would take one of them away from the other, much like what had happened with her mother to her father. He had never really recovered after her death, according to her sister. Makoto couldn’t remember what he had been like before she died, and she couldn’t even remember anything about her in the slightest. She just wasn’t sure what being married _meant_. Her and Ren were already hopelessly devoted to one another, and while marriage did have some logical perks, was there really any cause for it other than the logistical reasoning for it?

She had realized that she had been standing in the kitchenette for quite some time now as her mind spiraled in the way it normally did. Thoughts of someone taking Ren from her, or her from him. What it meant to be _bound_ to him. Wasn’t she already? Yes of course she was, she loved him dearly after all. But there was more to it, wasn’t there? She would need to read up on this to fully understand it. Studying was something that Makoto Niijima would never _not_ do, it seemed. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water from the door. She had wanted something sweet to calm her nerves a little, but she knew that the sugar would make it harder to go back to sleep and she had class in the morning, so she thought better of it. Ren was off tomorrow though, so he could’ve had all the sweets he wanted tonight and been fine, except her fluffy haired lover had recently confessed to her that he wasn’t the _biggest_ fan of chocolate.

She had been appalled at the revelation, how could someone _not_ love chocolate? Ren was weird already though, so that sort of made sense. As Makoto sipped her water bottle, she slowly began walking back through her living room towards the hallway. Stopping for a moment to look at the floor where that final shot had taken place in that hellscape of a nightmare. Her eyes squinted on their own as she started to feel the tears well up in her eyes again.

Ren meant the world to her, if anything ever happened to him then she’d probably never get over it. She was fully aware of that fact before she had decided to let things follow the natural progression in their relationship. However, now that fact seemed to frighten her a little. Well, more like a little bit of a lot. The thought of her pledging her life to Ren and then him suddenly being ripped away from her just like her father was terrifying. It was enough to make her blood run cold.

What if she couldn’t protect him? She wanted to be a police commissioner, that job would come with enemies on both sides of the law. She had planned to challenge the status quo that was Japan’s corrupt judicial system. Her sister was already doing her part as a defense attorney and doing it well surprisingly enough. Japan, to this day, had an insanely high conviction rate, and many lawyers only became defense attorneys once they knew their career was either ruined, or practically over. Sae was working hard to change that perception, she was working hard to win against a corrupt system, and she was for the most part.

Makoto hoped she could do the same one day with Tokyo’s police force, to rip the weeds out that had made someone like Shido’s rise to power plausible in the first place. That meant making enemies, and powerful ones. How could she keep Ren safe during that?

She let the question rattle around in her brain for a little bit before she had a sharp, painful realization.

She couldn’t.

In the real world she couldn’t access her Persona, she couldn’t call upon any magic or any of the abilities that she or the other Phantom Thieves had shared. When Yaldabaoth had tried to merge Mementos with the real world her and the rest of the gang had found that they retained some increased physical attributes but nothing that made them inhuman or outlandishly spectacular. They were slightly more agile, and more powerful than the majority of the rest of the population, not enough to draw attention to themselves usually, but enough to at least be able to defend themselves. Should they ever need to at least.

Finally having enough of torturing herself with these terrible mental images, Makoto decided it was time to return to her spot in her big fluffy bed. She wasn’t going to figure out the answers to these questions overnight, but she did know one thing. She was still Queen, and this Queen would never let anyone hurt her Joker, not if she had anything to say about it.

She had promised on the night of Ren’s escape from the interrogation room that she would always protect him, no matter what. It had been a foolish promise to make, one that she logically wouldn’t be able to keep without her remaining at his side forever. While that sounded nice, she doubted that her making that her life’s mission would keep a roof over their head. Ren already was having enough trouble deciding what he wanted to do with his life as it was, someone had to have a plan moving forward, and like usual that someone ended up being her. She normally didn’t mind it, but right now she really wished it hadn’t been that way. She nestled herself back into her spot in the bed after setting her water bottle down on her nightstand.

As she back over to face Ren she noticed that his right eye was open and he was looking at her. He smiled gently as he looked at her. He turned his head slightly towards her and asked what she was doing awake. Makoto’s face flustered a little at the look he was giving her as she explained she just needed a drink of water. She didn’t need to share the horrific details of what exactly had woken her from her slumber that night.

Satisfied with her answer Ren nodded sleepily and turned on his side to face her, holding up the blanket and inviting her to come cuddle with him. It was a request that Makoto couldn’t turn down as she watched the dorky grin on his face grow wider. She turned her back towards him and scooted across the bed softly, nuzzling her body against his tightly as he dropped the blanket over her shoulder and latched his arm around her body from behind.

She had finally grown to _like_ being the little spoon.

“Love you babe…” His voice was coarse and deep from sleep, but Makoto loved the sound all the same.

“I love you too Ren.” She kneaded his arm that held her with her finger tips and softly smiled. All the questions from earlier were fading away as sleep slowly began to overtake her, and that was okay, she had time to solve these mysteries that seemingly never stopped adding up in her mind. Especially the one about keeping Ren safe, that was the most important one.

Mostly because she never wanted to ever experience the kind of pain that her nightmare earlier had shown her a glimpse of…. But another part of her quietly accepted the real reason she wanted to keep him safe though, to protect him.

Because even though she didn’t fully understand the concepts behind it…

She really, _really_ wanted to marry this man.

**Author's Note:**

> I have rewritten this prompt several times at this point. The first was mildly more graphic in it's violence than this one but I dialed it back. The second was too restrained, so everything fell flat. After discussing it with my wife she suggested I use this as an exercise to see if I could portray a horrific event in the proper amount of detail. A challenge I'm not sure I entirely lived up to, in all honesty. 
> 
> As always, feedback is always appreciated. Now then. It's late and I need sleep. Day 5,6 and maybe 7 will be coming later today as well after some proof reading and revision work. Thanks for reading!


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